Women and Entrepreneurship in Latvia

More than one-third of all entrepreneurs in Latvia are women [Dombrovsky and Uebele, 2005)]; moreover, the average female entrepreneur is aged between 35 and 44. Little research has so far been done on their business preferences, their motives for becoming entrepreneurs, their business objectives, characteristics of their ventures, and the overall development of female entrepreneurship. Therefore, this paper sets out to give an overview of female entrepreneurship in Latvia by exploring its nature and extent, based on statistical and survey data.First, we contextualize female entrepreneurship by explaining its various economic and social roles, and by identifying the factors that influence it - especially in a country undergoing transition. Next, we analyze female entrepreneurship in Latvia with the help of primary and secondary statistical data, describing different aspects of the nature of fe-male entrepreneurship in Latvia. Finally, we draw conclusions from our analysis, and discuss policy recommendations for fostering female entrepreneurship.